[naviga:img class="img-responsive" alt="Daniel Elliot-Villarreal" src="/Assets/news2015/0516DayVillarreal.JPG"/]

Daniel Elliot-Villarreal

New London — The man who allegedly set fire to his McKinley Avenue home last month did so in an attempt to commit suicide, according to court documents.

Daniel Elliot-Villarreal, 28, of 27 McKinley Ave., Apt. 1, is facing charges of first-degree arson and first-degree criminal mischief in connection with the April 20 blaze, which killed three pets, injured five people including Elliot-Villarreal and caused an estimated $50,000 in damage.

On Monday, at the court where major crimes are tried, Elliot-Villarreal pleaded not guilty to the charges.

According to an arrest warrant affidavit, firefighters, upon arriving at the 8:21 a.m. fire, found Elliot-Villarreal unconscious in a rear bedroom of his apartment with lacerations on his right arm. Crews first took Elliot-Villarreal to The William W. Backus Hospital for treatment. He later was transferred to Bridgeport Hospital’s burn unit, where he spent a period of time in critical condition.

Further investigation revealed the fire appeared to have been set intentionally. Officials located a metal container labeled “Smart Living Charcoal Lighter Fluid” on top of a dresser in the bedroom where Elliot-Villarreal was found, according to the affidavit. Both the living room and rear bedroom of Apartment 1 had significant fire damage. The spaces in between, however, didn’t — indicating at least two separate fires had burned.

When officers interviewed Elliot-Villarreal later on April 20, the affidavit states, he admitted to igniting multiple fires in different areas of his apartment. Police said Elliot-Villarreal told them he set his bed on fire and then cut his right arm with a kitchen knife. He hoped the latter effort would sever an artery, he told police.

According to the affidavit, both Elliot-Villarreal and his husband, Kyle Elliot-Villarreal, said they had been having marital issues of late. Kyle told police his partner has post-traumatic stress disorder and sustained two traumatic brain injuries while serving in the military. But, Kyle said, nothing seemed unusual when he left for work early on April 20.

Elliot-Villarreal said he had intended to kill himself by setting the fires, but hadn’t thought about or meant to hurt others in the four-family, 2½-story building. According to police, eight others were inside at the time. Two were taken to the hospital for smoke inhalation, while a third was treated on scene for the same. Firefighters previously said the blaze displaced a total of 10 people.

Additionally, a firefighter sustained injuries to his right knee and hand while responding to the blaze. The firefighter was out of work for at least a week, the affidavit shows.

Elliot-Villarreal, held on a $200,000 bond, is next due in court June 27.